"I'd like to fix that boat of Sheldon's so that he couldn't run it.He'll be crowing over me all the time, and that is something I won'tstand. It'll be an easy thing to get at it at night."

"0f course," agreed Merritt. "Make a hole inside his tank, do somethingto the engine or cut a hole in the bottom. Anything will do. Thenwe can say that the boat was no good in the first place, and everyone will believe you. That's easy."

"I won't say anything about it. Wouldn't he suspect something if Iwas to speak about it? You don't show any sense!"

"I show as much as you do, staying out there on the river when therewas a squall coming down from the mountain," sulked Merritt. "Don'tyou talk. That was the hugegest fool thing I ever saw any one do."

"Shut up!" snarled Herring. "What we want to do is to fix the boatso that it won't run. Sheldon can't afford to buy another, and wewill have all the fun, while he has to stay on shore."

All right. To-night will be a good time. How are you going to manageit? He may be watching."

"Why should he? He won't suspect anything. After all the kids havegone to sleep we can steal down to the shore and fix it all right.All we have to do is to see where he puts it."